Don't run a yellow light? Chinese motorists attack new rule that 'causes accidents'

Amy Li

BIO

Amy Li began her journalism career as a crime news reporter in Queens, New York, in 2004. She joined Reuters in Beijing in 2008 as a multimedia editor. Amy taught journalism at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu before joining SCMP in Hong Kong in 2012. She is now an online news editor for SCMP.com. Amy can be reached at chunxiao.li@scmp.com, or follow her on Twitter @AmyLiSCMP

A driver receives a ticket for a traffic violation in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua

Is yellow the new red? In China, running yellow traffic lights is officially illegal.

China’s new traffic regulation that went into effect on Tuesday bans motor vehicles from running yellow lights, but it has also left drivers across the nation confused, sceptical and even angry.

Drivers who are caught crossing an intersection on a yellow light now face severe penalties. In the past, a driver who ran a red would lose three points, in a 12-point system (those who lose all of their points must undergo training and pass an exam).

Under the new rule, running a red or a yellow light means losing a whopping six points. Offenders would also have to pay a maximum fine of 200 yuan (HK$248), China’s People’s Daily reported on Tuesday .

Authorities believe this new rule will curb the number of traffic violations, but many drivers argue it will only create more chaos and congestion.

An editor from China’s Caijing Magazine shared on the publication’s official Weibo account on Tuesday that he had failed to stop before a yellow light three times despite his best intention to do so while driving.

“I was five metres from the line when the light suddenly turned yellow,” said the post, “but it was impossible to stop even though I was only going around 35km/h.”

Sun Yixuan, another Beijing driver, wrote on Weibo that he had crashed into the rear of a car that stopped abruptly for a yellow light.

“That car’s rear bumper and back doors were totally destroyed after the collision,” he said. “Fortunately both drivers were fine.”

Sun’s post has received more than 4,000 comments as of Wednesday.

“What’s the point of keeping yellow lights since they work the same as red lights now?” said one Weibo user.

Many believe the new rule will trigger more accidents and congestion.

Traffic authorities in Shenzhen said on Tuesday they weren’t punishing offenders yet because their system is not capable of taking photos of drivers running yellow lights. They said on their official Weibo that they needed more time to update their system and draft reasonable enforcement protocols.

In an unusual move, China's state Xinhua News Agency echoed drivers' oppositions on Tuesday. A post on its official Weibo reads: "This new rule is against Newton's first law of motion."

In a Weibo post titled “Xinhua Micro Comment”, Xinhua lashed out at the new rule, quoting complaints from netizens.

“Netizens have complained the difficulty of stopping at the yellow lights. If all cars slow down as much as they can before the lights, it will create more traffic for the already congested roads.”

Then the author went on to criticise the new rule , “It’s against Newton’s law and we seriously demand a revision."

Traffic remains a nightmare in Beijing and is getting worse. This new rule will just generate more accidents and confuse all while doing nothing about the total lack of civility and total disregard for traffic rules, with a police that is useless and inept. As I wrote in my official report to the Beijing Mayor (and circulated among the State leaders). Unfortunately, little has changed. Just try to bike in Beijing as I do.